Pediatrics News and Research

Latest Pediatrics News and Research

Study provides data-based answer for preterm baby's discharge from the NICU

"When is my baby going home?" is one of the first questions asked by families of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Now clinicians have a data-based answer.

16 Jan 2020

Erythropoietin treatment may not provide neuroprotection for preemies

A study published in the Jan 16 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that erythropoietin treatment may not provide neuroprotection for extremely premature babies.

16 Jan 2020

Survey finds US adults see vaccines as less important than they did in 2001

A new survey reveals that US parents are increasingly opting to not vaccinate their children, with support for vaccines down 10% since 2001 and the concern that they may cause autism, still being a major factor preventing adults from trusting vaccinations.

15 Jan 2020

Flame retardants and pesticides responsible for intellectual disabilities among millions

A few decades back one of the commonest environmental causes of intellectual disabilities among babies was exposure to lead and mercury. A new study reveals that while exposure to these heavy metals is on the decline, there is risk of other toxic chemicals. Researchers have found that chemicals present in pesticides and flame retardants could be causing over a million cases of intellectual disabilities among babies between 2001 and 2016.

14 Jan 2020

Reducing albuterol use in children with bronchiolitis without compromising care

Bronchiolitis, a lung infection that is one of the most common reasons for hospitalizations in young children, is most prevalent during the winter months and is usually treated with albuterol delivered via inhalers, despite evidence showing no benefit in most patients.

14 Jan 2020

Community-delivered curriculum lowers parenting stress among low-income parents

Low-income parents reported lower perceived parenting stress and better overall outcomes when parents participated in Parenting Journey, a community-delivered curriculum designed to increase resilience and support nurturing family relationships.

14 Jan 2020

Maternal stress affects fetal brain development

A new study published online January 13, 2020, in the journal JAMA Pediatrics reports that mothers who suffer severe mental stress during pregnancy may have babies with abnormal development in important areas of the brain even before birth. It is already known that babies with congenital heart disease show abnormalities in brain growth and brain biochemical reactions.

13 Jan 2020

New program reduces abusive behaviors among middle school male athletes toward female peers

Coaching Boys Into Men, a program that seeks to prevent dating violence and sexual assault, reduces abusive behaviors among middle school male athletes toward their female peers, according to clinical trial results published today in JAMA Pediatrics.

13 Jan 2020

Parents can help prevent teen drinking and driving, study finds

Binge drinking by teenagers in their senior year of high school is a strong predictor of dangerous behaviors later in life, including driving while impaired and riding with an impaired driver, according to a new Yale-led study.

13 Jan 2020

Study shows link between lead exposure risk and brain structure in children

Though leaded gas and lead-based paint were banned decades ago, the risk of lead exposure is far from gone. A new study led by Elizabeth Sowell, PhD, shows that living in neighborhoods with high risk of lead exposure is associated with differences in brain structure and cognitive performance in some children.

13 Jan 2020

Parental enforcement of bedtime yields solid results for sleep-deprived teens

Teenagers in the US simply don't get enough shut eye. The consequences of this epidemic of sleep deprivation are extensive and include increasing rates of anxiety and depression among adolescents, as well as suicidal thoughts and actions.

9 Jan 2020

One-fourth of children with autism miss diagnosis, study finds

One-fourth of children under age 8 with autism spectrum disorder - most of them black or Hispanic - are not being diagnosed, which is critical for improving quality of life.

9 Jan 2020

UMSOM research shows even milder cases of diarrheal diseases can lead to child mortality

Diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of death for young children, accounting for nine percent of all deaths worldwide in children under five years of age, with most occurring in children under two years of age.

9 Jan 2020

Addressing resilience, emotional health within families of children with chronic conditions

Be it autism, sickle cell or other life-disrupting health conditions, being the parent of a child with a chronic condition takes a psychological toll. For too many families, however, emotional and behavioral health support has been far too difficult to obtain.

9 Jan 2020

Breastfeeding mothers could naturally vaccinate their babies against malaria

In a world first, researchers from The University of Western Australia have taken the first step towards understanding whether it may be possible for breastfeeding mothers to naturally vaccinate their babies against malaria – one of the world’s deadliest contagious diseases.

9 Jan 2020

Post-mortem genetic testing used to find underlying cause of sudden deaths in Amish families

Researchers used post-mortem genetic testing to find the underlying cause of multiple sudden deaths in young people and sudden cardiac arrests in two large Amish families.

8 Jan 2020

Minimally invasive technique to directly measure cardiac output in newborns

The amount of blood that the heart pumps in one minute (cardiac output) can be directly measured safely in newborns by monitoring changes in blood velocity after injecting saline, indicates a paper published online Dec. 17, 2019 in the Journal of Pediatrics and Neonatal Medicine.

8 Jan 2020